A superconductive body and a method of forming such a superconductive body

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a superconductive body, and to a method of making such a superconductive body.

[0002] Superconducting materials are now well know, and many different superconducting materials have been disclosed.

[0003] For example, US 4994432 disclosed superconductive materials based on the elements Bi, Sr, Cu, O. In US 4994432, the materials proposed had the composition Bi_aSr_bCu_cO_d, where a+b+c=1, a=0.36-0.557, b=0.098-0.496, c=0.1-0.4 and d=approx. 1+a/2 Furthermore, JP-A-2-289424 disclosed superconductive materials based on the elements Tl, Sr, Ca, Cu, 0, and Tl Ba/Sr, Ca, Cu, O. Again, specific ranges were given for the amounts of those elements present in the material. US 5017554 disclosed superconductive compounds based on Tl/Pb, Sr, Ca, Cu, O. The disclosure proposed the material Tl_ePb_aCa_bSr_cCu_dO_x with a=1/10 - 3/2, b=1-4, c=1-3, d=1-5, e=3/10 - 1 and x=(a+b+c+d+e+y), with y=1/2 - 3.

[0004] An article entitled "A New Process with the Promise of High Jc on Oxide Superconductors" by M. Murakami et al in Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol 28, No. 7, pp 1189 to 1194 (1989) also disclosed superconductive materials based on Y, Ba, Cu, O together with non-superconductive material based on x, Y, ba, Cu, O.

[0005] Shimoyama et al in the Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 29, No. 11, November 1990, pp. L1999-L2001, describe a V-Ba-Cu-O superconductor including small particles of BaSnO₃ as flux pinning centres.

[0006] Donglu Shi et al in Applied Physics Letters Vol. 55, No. 13, 25 September 1989, pp. 1354-1356, discuss precipitate and lattice defect flux pinning mechanisms in Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductors.

[0007] EP-A-441986 describes 1-2-2-3, 1-2-3-4 and 1-2-2-3 (Tl, Pb, Bi) Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductors produced by firing a mixture of starting materials at 850 to 1000°C and then annealing the fired mixture at 300 to 900°C.

[0008] Kuroda et al in the Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 29, No. 10, October 1990, pp. L1785-L1788, describe the composition dependence of superconductivity in the (Tl, Bi, Pb)-(Ba, Sr)-Ca-Cu-O system, with the emphasis on 2-2-2-3 compounds.

[0009] Kaneko et al in Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 56, No. 13, 26 March 1990, pp. 1281-1283, discuss (Tl, Pb, Bi)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductors and mention that nearly single phase 1-2-2-3 compound can be prepared. Sintering of a mixture of precursors is performed at 920°C and subsequent annealing is performed at 600, 500 or 400°C.

[0010] There are two things that need to be considered when producing a superconductive material. The first is the critical temperature Tc which is the temperature above which the superconductive material ceases to exhibit superconductive properties. Superconductive oxides have been developed with relatively high Tc (100 K or greater), but attempts continue to be made to increase Tc.

[0011] In the search for superconductive materials of high Tc, however, little consideration has been given to the current density that is obtainable in the presence of a magnetic field. The current density of which the superconductive effect is lost is known as the critical current density J., and, in general, existing superconductive materials show a significant drop in critical current density J. in the presence of relatively small magnetic fields. There is thus a desire to increase the critical density Jc in general, and in particular to increase that critical current density Jc in the presence of a magnetic field.

[0012] In a first aspect of the present invention, a superconductive body according to claim 1 is proposed.

[0013] Preferably

[0014] It has been found that such a superconductive material permits high critical current density Jc to be achieved, particularly at high magnetic fields. For example, the existing materials described in US 4994432 and JP-A-2-289424 all have a critical current density Jc which falls to zero at a magnetic field of 1 Tesla, whereas the present invention may permit critical current densities of 10000 A/cm² at a magnetic field of 1 Tesla.

[0015] Furthermore, superconductive materials according to the first aspect of the present invention generally have values of the critical temperature Tc of a similar order to those materials disclosed in US-A-4994432, US-A-5017554 and JP-A-2-289424. Thus, the advantages of high critical current density Jc achievable by superconductive materials of the present invention do no involve significant loss of critical temperature Tc.

[0016] Preferably:

[0017] When an oxide superconductive material, cooled to an appropriate temperature, is made superconductive and is maintained in a magnetic field, quantized magnetic flux enters the superconductive material. If current is applied under this condition to the superconductive material, Lorentz force will act on the magnetic flux, causing the magnetic flux to move in the superconductive material. The movement of the magnetic flux causes loss of energy, which, in turn, causes electric resistance to occur in the superconductive material. Therefore, to obtain high critical current density Jc in the magnetic field, it is necessary to ensure that the magnetic flux having entered the superconductive material does not move even when the current is flowing. It is known, eg from the article by M Murakami referred to above, to introduce non-superconductive material into the superconductive material matrix, and the quantized magnetic flux is trapped in by these non-superconductive materials (the non-superconductive materials act as pinning centers) so that the entered magnetic flux will not move, thereby ensuring that the current will flow without resistance occurring even in a magnetic field.

[0018] Therefore, it is possible to introduce a plurality of pinning centers into the superconductive material of the first aspect of the present invention, to form a superconductive body.

[0019] The present invention is concerned with superconductive materials containing Tl. With reference to the article by M Murakami, it is known to provide superconductor comprising compounds of Y, Ba, Cu, O and non-isostructural materials forming a pinning center. However, such materials have critical temperatures below 100 K. Therefore, the first aspect of the present invention proposes that a superconductor body be formed of a Tl-based superconducting material together with non-superconducting material which may be isostructural or non-isostructural with the superconductive material.

[0020] A second aspect of the present invention concerns a method of forming a superconductive body according to claim 13.

[0021] A third aspect of the present invention provides a superconductive wire according to claim 14.

[0022] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a model representing the crystal structure of a superconductive material produced according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a model representing the crystal structure of a non-superconductive material used in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

Fig. 3 shows a model representing the crystal structure of a non-superconductive material used in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a magnetism/hysteresis curve for the material of Embodiment 2;

Fig. 5 is a magnetism/hysteresis curve of a known material; and

Fig. 6 shows a superconductive wire according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the reference numerals 1-5 indicate atoms of the following type:

1	Tl, Pb or Bi
2	Sr or Ba
3	Ca
4	Cu
5	O.

[0024] When an oxide high-temperature superconductive material, being a Type II superconductor, is cooled to an appropriate temperature, made superconductive, and maintained in a magnetic field, quantized magnetic flux enters the superconductive material. If an electric current is then applied to the superconductive material, Lorentz force will act on the magnetic flux, causing the magnetic flux to move in the superconductive material. The movement of the magnetic flux causes loss of energy, which, in turn, causes electric resistance to occur in the superconductive material. Therefore, to obtain a higher superconductive critical current density (hereinafter referred to as "Jc") in the magnetic field, it is necessary to ensure that the magnetic flux which has entered the superconductive material does not move even when a current is flowing. It is known to introduce non-superconductive material into the superconductive material matrix, and the quantized magnetic flux is trapped in this portion (the portion act as a "pinning center") so that the magnetic flux will not move, thereby ensuring that the current will flow without resistance occurring even in a magnetic field. The present invention then seeks a superconductor which permits a large amount of superconductive current to flow, even in a magnetic field, and using an oxide high-temperature superconductive material. It has been found that a large amount of superconductive current can flow even in a magnetic field by heat-treating a superconductor of a suitable composition at a temperature range in which a liquid phase is created at least once.

[0025] A pinning center is a portion which traps the quantized magnetic flux entering the superconductive material and fixes the magnetic flux so that resistance will not occur when the magnetic flux is moved. If non-superconductive material is present in a matrix of superconductive materials, the non-conductive portion has smaller energy for the quantized magnetic flux at the temperature at which the superconductive materials shift into the superconductive phase (hereinafter referred to as the critical temperature "Tc"). Thus, the presence of the magnetic flux takes priority over that of the non-conductive portion. Hence, all the non-conductive portions introduced into the matrix of superconductive materials have a possibility of becoming pinning centers. However, the force to fix the quantized magnetic flux (pinning force) varies greatly according to the type of the materials of the pinning center, size, shape and distribution of the non-conductive portion, distance between the non-conductive portions, and boundary bondage between the superconductive and non-superconductive materials.

[0026] In embodiments of the present invention, it has been found to be possible to manufacture a superconductor featuring a high degree of pinning force, that is, a high value of superconductive critical current density "Jc" even in a magnetic field, by maintaining the superconductor comprising a superconductive material consisting of Tl, Sr, Ca, Cu and O at a temperature range, for five minutes or more, where a liquid phase is once created, and by subsequently heat-treating it at the temperature of 800 to 900°C. It has also been found that the value of "Jc" in the magnetic field exceeds 10000 A/cm² at 77 K and one tesla when the non-superconductive material comprising Ca, Cu and O, non-superconductive material comprising Ca, Sr and O, and non-superconductive material containing elements constituting the superconductive materials such as CaO and CuO are present within a range of 10 to 60 percent in volume ratio, in addition to the superconductive material.

[0027] The composition ratio of the starting (original) materials has been investigated, on the basis of many different parameters, and it has been found that the composition of the superconductive materials contained in the superconductors is preferably as will now be described.

[0028] Though there are variations amounting to tens of percent, depending on the crystals analyzed, the approximate composition of the superconductor is preferably;

Tl: Sr : Ca : Cu : O = 1 : 2 : 1 : 2

Tl: Sr : Ca : Cu : O = 1 : 2 : 2 : 3

Tl: Sr : Ca : Cu : O = 1 : 2 : 3 : 4

To facilitate production of the superconductive material, various substitution of the elements has been investigated. By substituting Bi or Pb for part of the Tl and, at the same time, substituting Ba for part of Sr, it was possible to come close to a composition suited to the production process, and to improve the value of "Jc" in the magnetic field for the superconductor manufactured via a process of in which the liquid phase is generated once. Bi or Pb was substituted for part of the Tl in the conventional method as well.

[0029] It is known that the material represented by Formula 4 is a superconductive material;
Formula 4

        (Tl, Pb, Bi) Sr₂ Ca_n-1 Cu_n O_2n+3     (Formula 4)

[0030] However, when the Ba does not substitute for part of the Sr, the temperature for creation of liquid phase is as high as 950°C when heat-treatment is performed to allow partial coexistence of liquid phase as described above. Therefore, a large amount of Tl evaporates during this process, which makes it difficult to manufacture the superconductor. By substituting Bi or Pb for part of the Tl and, at the same time, substituting Ba for part of Sr, the temperature for generating the liquid phase component is lowered and evaporation of the Tl is reduced. Therefore, the superconductor is preferably manufactured by such a process. This permits production of a superconductor featuring a high value of Jc in a magnetic field.

[0031] It has also been found that the bonding among the crystal grains is improved by substituting Bi or Pb for part of the Tl and,at the same time, Br for part of the Sr.

[0032] When a superconductor mainly comprising the elements represented in Formula 4, was manufactured by a normal heat treatment method without generating the liquid phase, then the superconductive critical current density inside the crystal grain of the superconductor was thousands of A/cm² (at an applied magnetic field of one tesla and measuring temperature of 77 K), which was unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the conventional composition and conventional heat treatment brings about not only unsatisfactory superconductive critical current density "Jc", but also extremely poor bonding among the crystal grains of the superconductive materials. The value of the superconductive current flowing through the boundary of this crystal grain is one tenth or less of the superconductive critical current density inside the crystal grain. Thus, the superconductive current flowing as carrying current is extremely low, for example, hundreds of A/cm² at the temperature of 77 K in an applied magnetic field of one tesla.

[0033] When the superconductor was manufactured by heat-treating the superconductor comprising the superconductive material obtained by substituting the Bi or Pb for part of the T1 and, at the same time, the Ba for part of the Sr as main crystal, at least once at the temperature range which allows coexistence of the liquid phase component, then the superconductive critical current density "Jc" within the crystal grain of the superconductor was sufficiently high, namely, tens of thousands of A/cm² (in an applied magnetic field of one tesla at the temperature of 77 K). The bonding among the crystal grains of the superconductive material was excellent, and the superconductive current which could flow through the boundary was one tenth or more. Hence, the value of the superconductive current which can flow as carrying current was extremely high, eg ten thousand to tens of thousands of A/cm² at a temperature of 77 K in an applied magnetic field of one tesla.

[0034] In such a case, a superconductor with such non-superconductive materials as BaPbO₃, BaBiO₃, Ca₂CuO₃, and Ca₂PbO₄ present in addition to the superconductive material showed a superconductive critical current density "Jc" ten to twenty percent higher than a superconductor without those materials. It was not possible to get evidence that these non-superconductive materials were working as pinning centers, but there is a great probability for that. The diameter of the crystal grain of the superconductive material was adjusted, and the triple point of the grain boundary was dispersed uniformly by controlling the distribution of the triple point (average distance : 10 microns); this -resulted in an improvement of the value of "Jc" in the magnetic field by ten percent. Assuming that this triple point was working as a pinning center, the distribution was examined by computer simulation, and it was found that the average distance should preferably be 10 nm to 50000 nm.

[0035] The process of manufacturing a superconductor featuring a high "Jc" value in a magnetic field may be facilitated by manufacturing the superconductor with a composition which contains, in addition to the superconductive material and non-superconductive material, a metal which does not react significantly with the superconductive and non-superconductive material at the temperature for manufacturing the materials. The metal parts should be distributed uniformly throughout, and the volume ratio should be 50 percent or less; more preferably 20 percent or less.

[0036] Considering now the ratio between the superconductive material and non-superconductive material constituting the superconductor, a smaller percentage of the non-superconductive material will result in a smaller pinning force in total, giving a smaller value of "Jc" in the magnetic field. Conversely, a greater percentage of the non-superconductive material will mean a smaller percentage of the superconductive portion, which does not provide high "Jc". Thus, the ratio between the oxide superconductive material and non-superconductive material in terms of volume ratio should be within a suitable range, preferably from 0.01 to 1.

[0037] When current is applied to the superconductor using an oxide superconductive material of a polycrystalline substance, the superconductive critical current density "Jc" of the superconductor juncture at the grain boundary is generally lower than that of the superconductive state within the crystal grain; thus, presence of the non-superconductive material within the crystal grain is more effective than presence on the grain boundary of the superconductive material, when it is sought to ensure a high value of "Jc" for the superconductor.

[0038] When the ratio between the non-superconductive material separated inside the crystal grain of the superconductor and the superconductive material is considered, a smaller percentage of the non-superconductive material will result in a smaller pinning force in total, giving a smaller value of "Jc" in the magnetic field. Conversely, a greater percentage of the non-superconductive material means a smaller percentage of the superconductive material, which does not provide high "Jc". Thus, again the ratio of the superconductive material and non-superconductive material should be within a suitable range. Preferably, the volume ratio of the non-superconductive material with respect to the oxide superconductive material should range from 0.01 to 10, more preferably from 0.01 to 1. If the non-superconductive material separated inside the crystal grain of the superconductor is too small in size, quantized magnetic flux cannot be sensed as an energy well, so that it fails to function as a pinning center. Excessive size of the non-superconductive material will produce a flat energy well, causing a poor pinning center function, and lowering the value of "Jc". Thus, the size of the non-superconductive material grains should be within a suitable range. The average particle size of the non-superconductive material should normally range from 1 nm to 1 micron, more preferably from 1nm to 0.5 microns. Quantized magnetic fluxes which enter the superconductor react with each other; so the distribution density of the pinning centers within the superconductor is also significant in determining the Jc value in the magnetic field. The average distance between the crystal grains of the non-superconductive materials should range from lnm to 1 microns, more preferably from 1 to 300 nm.

[0039] When the percentage of Tl and Pb contained in the material is considered, matching between the superconductive material and non-superconductive material appears to be the most effective when the X1 value is 0.3 to 0.8; a higher Jc value is obtained.

[0040] When manufacturing the superconductors, it is desirable to allow the superconductors to reach the temperature range in which the liquid phase will be generated at least once, in order to disperse the pinning centers uniformly. To remove harmful materials from the crystal grain boundaries of the superconductive material and non-superconductive material, it is desirable, at least once, to provide heat treatment within a range from a temperature equal to or above the temperature 50 degrees lower than the temperature at which the liquid phase begins to be generated, to a temperature equal to or below the temperature at which all components are in a liquid phase.

[0041] The "Jc" value can be further improved in a magnetic field by separating the different non-superconductive materials acting as pinning centers inside the superconductor.

[0042] Many non-superconductive materials (non-superconductive materials G) have been introduced into the superconductor, e.g. by introducing a non-superconductive material (A) having crystal structure isostructural (hereinafter "similar") to that of the superconductive material, the non-superconductive material being obtained by substituting different elements for one or more elements of the superconductive material into the matrix of the oxide superconductive material, in an effort to find out what kind of other non-superconductive materials are suited as materials to form the pinning centers. As a result, it has been found that the oxide superconductive material, or the material consisting only of the elements which constitutes the non-superconductive material (A) is effective. In particular, CaO, SrO, Ca₂CuO₃, Ca₂PbO₄, BaPbO₃ and BiBaO₃ have been found effective. If the process of manufacturing superconductors according to the present invention uses a step which makes said oxide superconductive material and non-superconductive material (A) amorphous, and the materials are subsequently crystallized by heat treatment, then bonding of the crystal grains of the superconductive material improves, ensuring the production of superconductors with excellent properties. To make such materials amorphous, an abrupt quenching method (to cool these materials abruptly from the liquid phase), spattering method, laser deposition method, electron beam deposition method, deposition method, thermal spraying method, chemical vapor phase deposition, etc. may be used with successful results.

[0043] A superconductor according to the present invention is applicable to all the superconductor-applied equipment, which currently use a superconductor or which are supposed to be able to use a superconductor. The superconductor manufacturing method according to the present invention is directly applicable to the manufacture of a superconductive wire using an oxide superconductor.

[0044] As described above, in order to improve the value of the superconductive critical current density "Jc" of the superconductor using an oxide superconductive material in a magnetic field, it is necessary to introduce pinning centers which effectively fix the quantized magnetic flux entering the superconductor.

[0045] The pinning centers do not have superconductivity. If the non-superconductive material of the pinning center contained in the superconductor is excessive, the superconductive current path will decrease, resulting in a superconductor with a low Jc value in total. Thus, the quantity of pinning centers to be introduced into the superconductor must be within a certain range. The volume ratio of the pinning centers relative to the oxide superconductive material must normally be 0.01 to 10.

[0046] The magnetic flux entering the superconductor is quantized and is very small in size. Its diameter is of the same order as that of the superconductor coherence length. Thus, the most effective situation is when the size of the pinning center is about the same as the superconductor coherence length. Generally, the coherence length of the oxide superconductive material is from several angstroms to scores of angstroms. Therefore, when the non-superconductive material particles present inside the superconductor, acting as the pinning centers, have about this size, the pinning centers work more effectively. The triple point is structured in size to be extremely effective as a pinning center. Actually, the quantized magnetic fluxes can enter the pinning centers in several bundles, so the size of the non-superconductive material particles present inside the superconductor acting as the pinning centers is considered to be effective when it is within the range from several angstroms to thousands of angstoms. The size should preferably be within the range from 3 angtroms to 1 micron. The quantized magnetic fluxes entering the superconductor have a mutual effect of repelling each other; therefore the distribution density of the pinning centers in the superconductor has a significant influence on the "Jc" value in the magnetic flux. The average distance between the crystal grains of the non-oxide superconductive material should preferably be within the range from 1 nm to 1 micron. It should more preferably be within the range from 1 to 300 nm.

[0047] When manufacturing a superconductor according to the present invention, it is preferable that heat treatment is performed with the liquid phase coexisting. Coexistence of the liquid phase increases the speed of atomic dispersion, resulting in improved crystal properties of the materials of the superconductor and in better bondage between the crystal grains. At the same time, if the superconductive material used in the present invention is maintained at the temperature range for generating the liquid phase, the superconductive material will start to decompose and the resulting non-superconductive material will work effectively as a pinning center.

[0048] Another possible reason to explain why a superconductor according to the present invention has an extremely high superconductive critical current density even in the magnetic field will now be discussed. In the process of cooling from the state where the liquid phase coexists, defects such as dislocations and stacking faults are introduced inside the crystal grain of the superconductive material, resulting in creation of pinning centers. This may give an extremely high superconductive critical current density even in a magnetic field. Thus, it is not currently possible to determine the most effective pinning center. If the superconductor containing Tl and optionally one type or more selected from among Pb and Bi, one type or more of Ba and Sr, and Ca, Cu and O is produced by heating it at least once to the temperature range where the liquid phase occurs, it is possible to obtain a superconductor having an extremely high superconductive critical current density even in the magnetic field.

[0049] Fig. 4 illustrates a superconductor manufactured according to the general principles of the present invention. Its composition can be expressed by Formula 5.
Formula 5

        Tl_0.5Pb_0.5Sr_1.6Ba_0.4Ca₂Cu₃O_9+x4     (Formula 5)

[0050] It represents the magnetism-hysteresis curve of the superconductor manufactured in a process in which the material is sintered for five hours at the temperature of 880°C, then maintained at 980°C for thirty minutes with liquid phase remaining generated, then cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees, and is sintered for ten hours at 880°C.

[0051] For ease of comparison, Fig. 5 represents the magnetism-hysteresis curve of a superconductor which has the same composition as that of a superconductive material used in the present invention and which has been manufactured by a process in which the liquid phase has never been made to coexist. These measurements have been made using VSM equipment manufactured by Oxford Inc. of the UK. In Fig. 5 the size of the hysteresis Δ-M of the curve is proportional to the superconductive critical current density.

[0052] These results reveal that, in order to manufacture a superconductor having a good superconductive critical current density even in a magnetic field, it is normally necessary to provide heat-treatment at least once with the liquid phase coexisting, while using the composition of the superconductor selected selected according to the present invention. The structure of the specimen was investigated using a scanner type electron microscope. The observation showed that the material consisted of the crystals of oxides comprising about 30 percent of Tl_0.5Pb_0.5Sr_1.6Ba_0.4CaCu₃O₇, about 40 percent of Tl_0.5Pb_0.5Sr_1.6Ba_0.4Ca₂Cu₃O₉, about 10 percent of the BaPbO₃, and about 10 percent of Ca, Sr, Cu and O in terms of volume rate. The size of the crystal grain of the superconductor crystal phase was about 30 microns, and the average distance of the triple point on the boundary was about 30 microns.

[0053] This points to the strong possibility that the triple point on the boundary is working as a pinning center for the non-superconductive material comprising the elements composing the superconductor. However, this is only an assumption at the current stage. There remains a possibility that the material having the composition used in the present invention is heat-treated at least once at the temperature range where liquid phase coexists, and the pinning center would be introduced in different forms (e.g. in the form of vacancy, dislocation and stacking faults), which would contribute to the drastic improvement of the superconductive critical current density. However, at the current stage, it is not yet clear what feature is acting as a pinning center. If the superconductor containing one type or more selected from among the Tl, Pb and Bi, one type or more of the Ba and Sr, and Ca, Cu and O is produced by heating at least once up to the temperature range where the liquid phase occurs, it is possible to obtain a superconductor having an extremely high superconductive critical current density even in the magnetic field.

[0054] The composition of the superconductive material, non-superconductive material and other materials of the present invention is not restricted to the values given above. Actually, the composition of these oxides includes some degree of indefinite features, and the percentage of the components deviates in the range from ten and several percent to fifty percent. Therefore, even though the composition of the materials of the present invention differs to some extent, such materials are considered to be the same, if the crystal structure of said materials is basically the same as that of the materials of the present invention. Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show models of the crystal structure of the superconductive materials (Tl,Pb,Bi)(Sr,Ba)₂CaCu₂O₇, (Tl,Pb,Bi)(Ba,Sr)₂CaCu₂O_9, (Tl,Pb,Bi)(Ba,Sr)₂Ca₃Cu₄O₁₁) according to the present invention.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the examples discussed above. The present invention includes all the superconductive materials according to claim 1 manufactured by heating at least once up to the temperature range where the liquid phase occurs, and which has an extremely high superconductive critical current density even in the magnetic field.

[0056] The second group of embodiments of the present invention relate to a superconductor and a method of production thereof which allows a superconductive current to flow, using cooling with liquid helium or liquid nitrogen, involving an oxide superconductive material.

[0057] In the second group of embodiments of the present invention, a non-superconductive material having a crystalline structure preferably isostructural (hereinafter referred to as "similar") to that of the superconductive material, the non-superconductive material being obtained by substituting other elements for one or more elements of the superconductive material,into the matrix of the oxide superconductive materials.

[0058] The material most suited for combination with the superconductive materials (featuring the greatest pinning force), size of the pinning center,and dispersion status for a variety of oxide superconductive materials has been further considered in the second group of embodiments. When a non-superconductive material, for which the lattice constant is close to that of the oxide superconductive material used as superconductive material and has the same crystalline structure (is isostructural) is used as a material to for the pinning center, it has been found possible to manufacture a superconductor featuring a very strong pinning force, that is, with a high superconductive critical current density "Jc" even in a magnetic field.

[0059] Furthermore, if the superconductor is manufactured so as to include a metal which does not react significantly with these materials at the temperature at which the superconductors are manufactured, in addition to the superconductive material and the non-superconductive material, this will facilitate the process of manufacturing the superconductor with a high value of "Jc" in a magnetic field. The metal part should preferably be dispersed uniformly; the volume rate should be 50 percent or less, preferably 20 percent.

[0060] When current is applied to a superconductor using oxide superconductive material of a polycrystalline nature, the superconductive critical current density (Jc) of the superconductor juncture at the grain boundary is generally lower than that of the superconductive state within the crystalline grain; thus, presence of a non-superconductive material within the crystalline grain is more effective than presence on the grain boundary of the superconductive material in order to ensure high Jc of the superconductor.

[0061] As has previously been mentioned, when manufacturing the superconductors, it is desirable to include the step of allowing the superconductors to reach a temperature range in which the liquid phase will be generated at least once, in order to disperse the pinning centers uniformly. To remove harmful materials from the crystal grain boundaries of the superconductive material and non-superconductive material, it is desirable to include a process which, at least once, provides heat treatment within the range from a temperature equal to or greater than a temperature 50 degrees lower than the temperature at which the liquid phase begins to be generated, to a temperature equal to or smaller than the temperature at which all components turn into the liquid phase.

[0062] The Jc value in a magnetic field may be further improved by separating the non-superconductive material acting as pinning centers inside the superconductor. The material to be used for this purpose is required to be a non-superconductive material which, in the manufacture process, does not react with the oxide superconductive material constituting the superconductor and the non-superconductive material having a crystalline structure similar to that of the superconductive material and obtained by substituting the other elements for one or more elements of the superconductive material. Any material meeting this requirement can function as a pinning center. However, the pinning force differs according to the phase between the oxide superconductive material used and the non-superconductive material. Many non-superconductive material (non-superconductive materials (G)) have been introduced into the matrix of the oxide superconductive material, and the non-superconductive material (A) having a crystalline structure similar to that of the superconductive material obtained by substituting other elements for one or more elements of the introduced superconductive material into the superconductive material, in an effort to find out what kind of non-superconductive material is most suited as a material- to form pinning centers. As a result, it has been found that the oxide superconductive material, or the material consisting only of the elements which constitutes the non-superconductive material is the most effective as a non-superconductive material (non-superconductive materials (G)). In particular, CaO, SrO, Ca₂CuO₃, Ca₂PbO₄, BaPbO₃ and BiBaO₃ have been found effective.

[0063] The best way of introducing these non-superconductive materials (non-superconductive materials (G)) into the superconductor is a manufacturing process in which oxide superconductive material particles or particles of the superconductor (superconductor (B)) of the oxide superconductive material and non-superconductive material (having a crystalline structure similar to that of the superconductive material obtained by substituting other elements for one or more elements constituting the superconductive material), and particles of the non-superconductive material (G) are allowed to coexist; then the crystal grains of the oxide superconductive material or the superconductor (B) are caused to grow to large sizes, thereby allowing the non-superconductive material (G) to exist inside the crystal grains of the oxide conductive material.

[0064] It is also possible, for example, to heat the superconductor containing Tl_0.5Pb_0.5Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₉ to a temperature of about 900°C, causing the following decomposition:

Due to this decomposition process, the non-superconductive material is made to separate into crystal grains of the superconductor and to form pinning centers, thereby improving the Jc value in a magnetic field.

[0065] It has been mentioned above that the present invention permits a high Jc value to be obtained in a magnetic field. It has been found that a superconductor according to the present invention exhibits a significantly smaller reduction in Jc with increasing magnetic field, as compared to known superconductors. The value of Jc at 77 K in a field of 1T scarcely differs from that at 77 K in a field of 5T. The rate of decrease has been found to be 10% or less.

[0066] When manufacturing a superconductor according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a superconductor featuring excellent properties with improved bondage between the crystal grains, by heat-treating the said oxide superconductive material and non-superconductive material (A) after making them amorphous and by crystallizing them, thereby manufacturing the superconductor. To make them amorphous, an abrupt cooling method (to cool the these materials abruptly from the liquid phase), spattering method, laser deposition method, deposition method, thermal spraying method, chemical vapor phase deposition, etc. may be used with successful results, as has previously been mentioned.

[0067] One of the products in which a superconductor according to the present invention may be used is a superconductive wire. The most general configuration is such that the superconductor is present inside a para-conductive coating. In this case, the crystal axes of the superconductor should be in the same directions whenever possible. This is because the oxide superconductive material used in the present invention has an anisotropic property such that superconductive current flows more easily in the inner direction of the surface a-b, but does not flow so easily in other directions. Thus, the crystals should be oriented in a uniform direction in order to allow more superconductive current to flow. When manufacturing these superconductive wires, the superconductive particles should be sufficiently bonded together. This requires the heating temperature of 600°C or more. However, the superconductive material will decompose at the high temperature of 1300°C or more, so lower temperatures must be employed.

[0068] In a superconductor of the present invention, a non-superconductive material having a crystalline structure similar to that of the superconductive material, obtained by substituting other elements for one or more elements constituting the superconductive material may thus be present, to act as pinning centers in the matrix of the superconductive materials. This ensures a deflection-free boundary between the superconductor and the pinning centers, with excellent matching properties, thereby providing the superconductor with great pinning force.

[0069] In the manufacturing method of a superconductor according to the present invention, heat treatment may be performed with the liquid phase coexisting. Coexistence of the liquid phase increases the speed of atomic dispersion, resulting in improved crystal properties of the materials constituting the superconductor and in better bondage between the crystal grains.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0070] The embodiments of the present invention relate to

(i) the composition of a superconductor which allows a superconductive current to flow, using liquid helium or liquid nitrogen cooling, by the use of oxide superconductive material liquid nitrogen,

(ii) a superconductive wire, superconductive coil and magnetic shielded material using such a composition, and

(iii) a method of manufacturing of such a composition, wire etc..

[0071] In the embodiments of the present invention, the advantages sought depend on the composition of the superconductor, and the production method normally involves

(1) causing a superconductor comprising the superconductive material consisting of at least Tl, Sr, Ca, Cu and O as constituent elements to reach a temperature range where liquid phase is once created , thereby improving the bonding between the crystal grains comprising the superconductive material, and

(2) optionally, dispersing non-superconductive material inside and outside the crystal grains of the superconductive material.

[0072] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described:

Experiment 1

[0073] As the starting materials, Tl₂O₃, PbO, BaO, SrO, CaO, CuO with a purity of 99 percent or more were used. Firstly, the BaO, SrO, CaO and CuO were mixed so that the atomic ratio of the Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu would be 1.6 : 0.4 : 1 : 2 and was sintered in the atmosphere for twenty hours at the temperature of 900°C. This powder was crushed in an agate mortar, and the resulting powder was mixed with the Tl₂O₃ and PbO, so that the atomic ratio of the Tl : Pb : Ba: Sr: Ca : Cu was 0.5 : 0.5 : 1.6 : 0.4 : 1 : 2. When the powder was mixed sufficiently in the agate mortar, it was pressurized and molded into the form of a disk 20mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, and was placed in an alumina crucible with a cover. Then, it was heat-treated in the atmosphere for five hours at a temperature of 900°C. The resulting sintered material was subjected to X-ray diffractometry for powder and the result was analyzed by the Rietveld method, to confirm that the superconductive material having the crystal structure shown in Fig. 1 was present with a percentage of at least 90%.

[0074] This sintered material was heated in the atmosphere to 970°C at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute and was maintained under that condition for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees per minute, and was maintained under that condition for fifty hours. The superconductive critical temperature was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method, and it was confirmed that the electric resistance reached zero at 92 K. A VSM was used to measure the B-H curve of this specimen at 77 K, and the superconductive critical current density Jc flowing inside the crystal grains was determined, based on the size of the hysteresis. The result was that the Jc value was 25000 A/cm² when the applied magnetic field was 1 tesla.

[0075] Next, this specimen was crushed and a golden pipe with an outer diameter of 6mm and an inner diameter of 4mm was filled with the powder. It was then rolled to a thickness of 0.1 mm after being drawn up to an outer diameter of 0.5 mm. This was cut off into a specimen of 30 mm, which was heated to a temperature of 970°C in an oxygen atmosphere at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for ten hours. After that, the superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, and the Jc value was found to be 19000 A/cm².

Experiment 2

[0076] As the starting materials, Tl₂O₃, PbO, BaO, SrO, CaO, CuO with a purity of 99 percent or more were used. Firstly, the BaO, SrO, CaO and CuO were mixed so that the atomic ratio of the Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu was 1.6 : 0.4 : 2 : 3 and the mixture was sintered in the atmosphere for twenty hours at a temperature of 870°C. This powder was crushed in an agate mortar, and the resulting powder was mixed with the Tl₂O₃ and PbO so that the atomic ratio of the Tl : Pb : Ba : Sr: Ca : Cu was 0.5 : 0.5 : 1.6 : 0.4 : 2 : 3. When the powder was mixed sufficiently in the agate mortar, it was pressurized and molded into the form of a disk form of 20 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, and was placed in an alumina crucible with a cover, to be heat-treated in the atmosphere for five hours at the temperature of 880°C. The resulting sintered material was subjected to X-ray diffractometry for powder and the result was analyzed by the Rietveld method, to confirm that the superconductive material having the crystal structure shown in Fig. 2 was present with a percentage of at least 90%.

[0077] This sintered material was heated in the atmosphere to 970°C at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute and was maintained under that condition for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees per minute, and was maintained under that condition for fifty hours. The superconductive critical temperature was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method, and it was confirmed that the electric resistance reached zero at 92 K. A VSM was used to measure the B-H curve of this specimen at 77 K, and the superconductive critical current density Jc flowing inside the crystal grains was measured, based on the size of the hysteresis. The result was that the Jc value was 55000 A/cm² when the applied magnetic field was 1 tesla.

[0078] Next, this specimen was crushed and a golden pipe with an outer diameter of 6mm and an inner diameter of 4mm was filled with the powder. It was then rolled to a thickness of 0.1 mm after being drawn up to the outer diameter of 0.5 mm. This was cut off into a specimen of 30 mm, which was heated to the temperature of 970°C in an oxygen atmosphere at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for ten hours. After that, the superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, and the Jc value was found to be 28000 A/cm².

[0079] A specimen of this superconductive wire was ground at sections, and a scanner type electronic microscope was used to observed the structure within the specimen. The gray portion of said structure was analyzed by EDX, showing that this portion was composed of Tl : Pb : Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu = 0.46 : 0.53 : 1.6 : 0.4 : 1.5 : 2.6. This portion is known to be composed of the coexisting Tl_0.5Pb_0.5Ba_1.6Sr_0.4CaCu₂O₇ and Tl_0.5Pb_0.5Ba_1.6Sr_0.4Ca₂Cu₃O₉. The white portion contains only Ba and Pb, and is considered to be BaPbO₃. The black portion was analyzed by the EDX, showing that this portion was composed of Tl : Pb : Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu = 0.04 : 0.03 : 0.1 : 0.6 : 1.8 : 1.0. From this, it can been seen that the crystal grains of the superconductive material having the crystal structure shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 and the different non-superconductive material composed of the elements constituting the superconductor are separated in the superconductor according to the present Embodiment.

[0080] The specimen was then pressurized and molded to a thickness of 0.06 mm. It was heated to the temperature of 970°C in an oxygen atmosphere at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for ten hours. The superconductive portion of the specimen thus obtained was subjected to X-ray diffractometry for powder, to check the orientation of the crystal grains. The result revealed that the crystal faces a-b of over fifty percent of the total crystal particles were arranged so as to be parallel to the tape face of the tape-formed wire material. A scanner type electronic microscope was used to check the tape sections, and this showed that only five of the crystal grains, or less, were arranged in the direction of thickness.

Experiment 3

[0081] As the starting materials, Tl₂O₃, PbO, BaO, SrO, CaO, CuO with a purity of 99 percent or more were used. Firstly, the BaO, SrO, CaO and CuO were mixed so that the atomic ratio of the Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu was 1.6 : 0.4 : 3 : 4 and the mixture was sintered in the atmosphere for twenty hours at the temperature of 870°C. This powder was crushed in an agate mortar, and resulting powder was mixed with the Tl₂O₃ and PbO so that the atomic ratio of the Tl : Pb : Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu was 0.5 : 0.5 : 1.6 : 0.4 : 3 : 4. When the powder was mixed sufficiently in the agate mortar, it was pressurized and molded into the form of a disk 20 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, and was placed in an alumina crucible with a cover, to be heat-treated in the atmosphere for five hours at a temperature of 880°C. The resulting sintered material was subjected to X-ray diffractometry for powder and the result was analyzed by the Rietveld method, to confirm that the superconductive material having the crystal structure shown in Fig. 3 was present with a percentage of at least 90%.

[0082] This sintered material was heated in the atmosphere to 970°C at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute and was maintained under that condition for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees per minute, and was maintained under that condition for fifty hours. The superconductive critical temperature was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method, and it was confirmed that the electric resistance reached zero at 92 K. A VSM was used to measure the B-H curve of this specimen at 110 K, and the superconductive critical current density Jc flowing inside the crystal grains was determined, based on the size of the hysteresis. The result was that the Jc value was found to be 45000 A/cm² when the applied magnetic field was 1 tesla.

[0083] Next, this specimen was crushed and a golden pipe with an outer diameter of 6mm and an inner diameter of 4mm was filled with the powder. It was then rolled to a thickness of 0.1 mm after being drawn up to the outer diameter of 0.5 mm. This was cut off into a specimen of 30 mm, which was heated to the temperature of 970°C in an oxygen atmosphere at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for ten hours. After that, the superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, and the Jc value was found to be 21000 A/cm².

[0084] A specimen of this superconductive wire was ground at sections, and a scanner type electronic microscope was used to observed the structure within the specimen. About eighty percent of the entire area was composed of a mixture of Tl_0.5Pb_0.5Ba_1.6Sr_0.4CaCu₂O₇, Tl_0.5Pb_0.5Ba_1.6Sr_0.4Ca₂Cu₄O₉ and Tl_0.5Pb_0.5Ba_1.6Sr_0.4Ca₃Cu₄O₁₁. About ten percent was composed of BaPbO₃ and another ten percent was composed of Sr-CaCu-O.

Experiment 4

[0085] As the starting materials, Tl₂O₃, PbO, BaO, SrO, CaO, CuO with a purity of 99 percent or more were used. Firstly, the BaO, SrO, CaO and CuO were mixed so that the atomic ratio of the Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu was 1.6 : 0.4 : 2 : 3 and the mixture was sintered in the atmosphere for twenty hours at a temperature of 870°C. This powder was crushed in an agate mortar, and resulting powder was mixed with the Tl₂O₃ and PbO so that the atomic ratio of the Tl : Pb : Ba: Sr: Ca : Cu was 0.5 : 0.5 : 1.6 : 0.4 : 2 : 3. When the powder was mixed sufficiently in the agate mortar, it was pressurized and molded into the form of a disk with a diameter of 20mm and a thickness of 2mm, and was placed in an alumina crucible with a cover, to be heat-treated in the atmosphere for five hours at the temperature of 880°C. The resulting sintered material was subjected to X-ray diffractometry for powder, and it was confirmed that a superconductive material having the crystal structure shown in Fig. 2 was present with a percentage of at least 90%.

[0086] This sintered material was heated in the atmosphere to 980°C at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute and was maintained under that condition for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 10 degrees per minute, and was maintained under that condition for fifty hours. The superconductive critical temperature was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method, and it was confirmed that the electric resistance reached zero at 115K. A VSM was used to measure the B-H curve of this specimen at 77 K, and the superconductive critical current density Jc flowing inside the crystal grains was determined, based on the size of the hysteresis. The result was that the Jc value was found to be 52000 A/cm² when the applied magnetic field was 1 tesla.

[0087] Next, this specimen was crushed and was mixed with one tenth of powdered CaO in terms of volume ratio. The resulting powder was placed in an alumina crucible with a cover, to be heat-treated in the atmosphere for five hours to a temperature of 980°C at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 10 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for fifty hours. After that, the superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method and it was confirmed that the electric resistance reached zero at 115K. A VSM was used to measure the B-H curve of this specimen at 77 K, and the superconductive critical current density Jc flowing inside the crystal grains was determined, based on the size of the hysteresis. The result was that the Jc value was found to be 67000 A/cm² when the applied magnetic field was 1 tesla. This thus revealed that the CaO particles acted as effective pinning centers.

[0088] Next, this specimen was crushed and a golden pipe of 6 mm outer diameter and 4 mm inner diameter was filled with the powder. It was then rolled to a thickness of 0.1 mm after being drawn up to the outer diameter of 0.5 mm. This was cut off into a specimen of 30 mm, which was sintered at the temperature of 1050°C in the atmosphere for ten minutes. Then it was cooled down to 880°C, at which temperature it was sintered for five hours. After that, the superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, and the Jc value was found to be 45000 A/cm².

Experiment 5

[0089] SrO was used instead of CaO in Experiment 4, and a wire specimen was manufactured using the same procedure as for Experiment 4. The superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, and the Jc value was found to be 35000 A/cm².

Experiment 6

[0090] Ca₂CuO₃ was used instead of CaO in Experiment 4, and a wire specimen was manufactured using the same procedure as for Experiment 4. The superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, and the Jc value was found to be 46000 A/cm².

Experiment 7

[0091] Ca₂PbO₄ was used instead of CaO in Experiment 4, and a wire specimen was manufactured using the same procedure as for Embodiment 4. The superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, and the Jc value was found to be 39000 A/cm².

Experiment 8

[0092] BaPbO₃ was used instead of CaO in Experiment 4, and a wire specimen was manufactured using the same procedure as for Experiment 4. The superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, and the Jc value was found to be 49000 A/cm².

Experiment 9

[0093] BaBiO₃ was used instead of CaO in Experiment 4, and a wire specimen was manufactured using the same procedure as for Experiment 4. The superconductive critical temperature of this specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, and the Jc value was found to be 31000 A/cm².

Experiment 10

[0094] As the starting materials, Tl₂O₃, PbO, BaO, CaO and CuO with a purity of 99 percent or more were used, and a variety of oxide superconductive materials were produced with different percentages of Tl and Pb. The BaO, SrO, CaO and CuO were mixed so that the atomic ratio of the Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu was 1.7 : 0.3 : 2 : 3 and the mixture was sintered in the atmosphere for twenty hours at a temperature of 880°C. This powder was crushed in an agate mortar, and resulting powder was mixed with the Tl₂O₃ and PbO so that the atomic ratio of the Tl : Pb : Ba: Sr: Ca : Cu was (1-X) : X : 1.6 : 0.4 : 2 : 3, (where the value of X was varied to produce superconductive materials with different percentages of Tl and Pb contained therein). After this was mixed sufficiently in the agate mortar, the powder was pressurized and molded into the form of a disk 20 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, and was placed in an alumina crucible with a cover, to be sintered in the atmosphere for five hours at a temperature of 880°C. This sintered material was heated in the atmosphere to 970°C at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute and was maintained under that condition for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 10 degrees per minute, and was maintained under that condition for fifty hours.

[0095] The superconductive critical temperature was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method, and the temperature "Tc" at which the electric resistance reached zero was determined. A VSM was used to measure the B-H curve of this specimen at 77 K, and the superconductive critical current density "Jc" flowing inside the crystal grains was determined, based on the size of the hysteresis. The superconductive critical current densities "Jc" were determined when one tesla of magnetic field was applied, and the results are shown in Table 1. This Table reveals that the performance of the superconductors varies according to the percentage of Tl and Pb contained therein, and the value of X must be maintained within a suitable range.

Table 1

Value of X	Tc	Jc
0.1	106	29000
0.2	106	35000
0.3	110	46000
0.4	115	53000
0.5	114	51000
0.6	117	49000
0.7	100	23000
0.8	95	12000
0.9*	60	5000
1.0*	-	0

* comparative example

Experiment 11

[0096] As the starting materials, Tl₂O₃, PbO, Bi₂O₃, BaO, CaO and CuO with a purity of 99 percent or more were used, and a variety of oxide superconductive materials were produced with different percentages of Tl, Pb and Bi. The BaO, SrO, CaO and CuO were mixed so that the atomic ratio of the Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu was 1.5 : 0.5 : 2 : 3 and the mixture was sintered in the atmosphere for twenty hours at the temperature of 880°C. This powder was crushed in an agate mortar, and the resulting powder was mixed with the Tl₂O₃, PbO and Bi₂O₃ so that the atomic ratio of the Tl : Pb : Bi : Ba: Sr : Ca : Cu was (0.6-X) : 0.4 : X : 1.6 : 0.4 : 2 : 3, (where the value of X was varied to produce superconductive materials of different percentages of Tl and Bi contained therein). After this was mixed sufficiently in an agate mortar, the powder was pressurized and molded into the form of a disk 20 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, and was placed in an alumina crucible with a cover, to be sintered in the atmosphere for five hours at the temperature of 880°C. This sintered material was heated in the atmosphere up to 970°C at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute and was maintained under that condition for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 880°C at a cooling speed of 5 degrees per minute, and was maintained under that condition for twenty hours.

[0097] The superconductive critical temperature of the resulting sintered material was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method, and the temperature "Tc" at which the electric resistance reached zero was determined. A VSM was used to measure the B-H curve of this specimen at 77 K, and the superconductive critical current density "Jc" flowing inside the crystal grains was determined, based on the size of the hysteresis. The superconductive critical field densities "Jc" were determined when one tesla of magnetic field was applied, and the results are shown in Table 2. Table 2 reveals that the performance of the superconductor varies according to the percentages of the Tl and Bi contained therein, and the value of X must be maintained within a suitable range.

Table 2

Value of X	Tc	Jc
0.0	115	42000
0.1	116	46000
0.2	113	39000
0.3	100	16000
0.4	85	10000
0.5*	74	-
0.6*	61	-

* comparative example

Experiment 12

[0098] As the starting materials, Tl₂O₃, PbO, BaO, CaO and CuO with a purity of 99 percent or more were used, and a variety of oxide superconductive materials wre produced with different percentages of Tl and Pb. The BaO, SrO, CaO and CuO were mixed so that the atomic ratio of the Ba : Sr : Ca : Cu was X : (2-X) : 2 : 3, and the mixture was sintered in the atmosphere for twenty hours at a temperature of 890°C. This powder was crushed in an agate mortar, and resulting powder was mixed with the Tl₂O₃ and PbO so that the atomic ratio of the Tl : Pb : Ba : Sr: Ca : Cu was 0.4 : 0.6 : X : (2-X) : 2 : 3, (where the value of X was varied to produce superconductive materials of different percentages of the Ba and Sr contained therein). After this was mixed sufficiently in the agate mortar, the powder was pressurized and molded into the form of a disk 20 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, and was placed in an alumina crucible with a cover, to be sintered in the atmosphere for five hours at a temperature of 890°C. This sintered material was heated in the atmosphere up to 970°C at a heating speed of 30 degrees per minute and was maintained under that condition for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 890°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees per minute, and was maintained under that condition for fifty hours.

[0099] Next, this specimen was crushed and a golden pipe of 6 mm outer diameter and 4 mm inner diameter was filled with the powder. It was then rolled to a thickness of 0.1 mm after being drawn up to an outer diameter of 0.5 mm. This was cut off into a specimen of 30 mm, which was heated up to the temperature of 975°C in an oxygen atmosphere and was maintained for one hour. Then it was cooled down to 890°C at a cooling speed of 30 degrees per minute, at which temperature it was maintained for ten hours. After that, the superconductive critical temperature of the specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method, and the temperature "Tc" at which the electric resistance reached zero was determined. A VSM was used to measure the B-H curve of this specimen at 77 K, and the superconductive critical current density "Jc" flowing inside the crystal grains at 77 K was determined when one tesla of magnetic field was applied, and the results are shown in Table 3. Table 3 reveals that comparatively excellent properties can be maintained within a wide range of percentages of Ba and Sr. Table 3 also indicates, however, that the performance of the superconductors varies according to the percentage of X, and the value of X must be maintained within a suitable range.

Table 3

Value of X	Tc	Jc
0.0	116	11000
0.1	115	29000
0.2	117	35000
0.3	114	46000
0.4	116	53000
0.5	115	51000
0.6	115	59000
0.7	104	52000
0.8	118	46000
0.9	117	45000
1.0	116	43000
1.1	118	31000
1.2	117	10000
1.3	111	12000

Experiment 13

[0100] Fig. 6 represents the composition of a superconductive wire according to some embodiments of the present invention. The product shown in Fig. 6 comprises a superconductor 18 coated with a coating material 17 of an alloy of gold and 5-percentage-by-weight palladium, having a flat shape. The coating material 17 may be made of any metal so long as it does not react significantly with the superconductor; gold, silver, palladium, copper/aluminum alloys and nickel are preferred.

[0101] The sintered specimen of a superconductor produced in Experiment 12 was crushed, put into a pipe of an alloy of gold and 5 weight percent of palladium, the pipe being 100 mm in length, 6 mm in outer diameter and 5 mm in inner diameter. Then the pipe was sealed. It was then drawn to an outer diameter of 1 mm by a draw-bench, and the wire thus produced was further rolled by a cold rolling machine to obtain a wire with a flat sectional structure having a width of 3 mm and thickness of 0.2 mm. The wire was cut to a length of 250 m, and was placed and kept in an atmosphere of 950°C. After part of the wire was molten therein, it was placed into liquid nitrogen to be quenched. After that, the wire was heat-treated at 880°C for twenty hours. The critical current density of the specimen was measured by the d.c. four-terminal method at 77 K in a magnetic field of one tesla, with the result being a value of 11000 A/cm². An electronic microscope was used to observe the orientation of the superconductive crystals, and this revealed that approximately fifty percent of the crystals had their C-axis facing in the thickness direction.

Claims

1. A superconductive body comprising at least one superconductive material selected from the group consisting of:

        I.    (Tl_1-X1-X2Pb_X1Bi_X2)_α (Sr_1-X3Ba_X3)_2β Ca_2γ Cu_3δO_ξ

where



















        II.    (Tl_1-X1-X2Pb_X1Bi_X2)_α (Sr_1-X3Ba_X3)_2β Ca_γ Cu_2δO_ξ

where

















and

        III.    (Tl_1-X1-X2Pb_X1Bi_X2)_α (Sr_1-X3Ba_X3)_2β Ca_3γCu_4δO_ξ

where

















and containing at least one non-superconductive material providing pinning centres in the superconductive body and being an oxide composed only of a combination of elements selected from the elements present in said superconductive material, the superconductive body having a Jc value of at least 10000 A/cm² in a magnetic field of 1 tesla at 77K.

2. A superconductive body according to claim 1 wherein:

3. A superconductive body according to claim 2, wherein said at least one non-superconductive material is at least one material selected from CaO, SrO, CuO, Ca₂PbO₄, BaPbO₃, BaBiO₃, (Ca,Sr)₂CuO₃ and (Ca,Sr)CuO_x.

4. A superconductive body according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said at least one superconductive material forms a plurality of grains of said body, and said at least one non-superconductive material is present within said grains.

5. A superconductive body according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said at least one superconductive material forms a plurality of grains of said body, and said at least one non-superconductive material is present in said body outside said grains.

6. A superconductive body according to any one of claims 1 to 5 containing at least one further non-superconductive material which is isostructural with said superconductive material and has at least one element different from the elements of said superconductive material.

7. A superconductive body according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said at least one superconductive material forms a plurality of grains of said body, and at least 50% of said plurality of grains have the crystal c-axis thereof in a predetermined direction.

8. A superconductive body according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said at least one superconductive material forms a plurality of grains of said body having an average size in the range of 0,1µm to 10µm.

9. A superconductive body according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the ratio by volume of said at least one non-superconductive material and said at least one superconductive material is in the range 0.01 to 10.

10. A superconductive body according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein said at least one non-superconductive material forms particles in said body, and said particles have an average spacing in the range of 1nm to 1µm.

11. A superconductive body according to any one of claims 1 to 10 also including at least one metallic material of normal electrical conductivity.

12. A superconductive body according to claim 11 wherein said metallic material is selected from the group consisting of Ag, Au and Pt group metals.

13. A method of forming a superconductive body according to any one of claims 1 to 12 comprising the steps of:

(a) forming the superconductive material of a formula selected from I, II and III;

(b) mixing particles of the superconductive material and particles of the non-superconductive material or materials;

(c) heating the mixture containing said superconductive material to form a coexisting liquid phase; and

(d) cooling said superconductive material.

14. A superconductive wire comprising at least one elongate superconductive body according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and a normal-conductive sheath enclosing said at least one superconductive body.

15. A superconductive wire according to claim 14 wherein said superconductive body comprises a plurality of grains and there are not more than 5 grains in any direction transverse to the direction of elongation of the superconducting body.

Ansprüche

1. Supraleitender Körper, der mindestens eines der folgenden supraleitenden Materialien

        I.    (Tℓ_1-X1-X2Pb_X1Bi_X2)_α(Sr_1-X3Ba_X3)_2βCa_2γCu_3δO_ξ

mit



















        II.    (Tℓ_1-X1-X2Pb_X1Bi_X2)_α(Sr_1-X3Ba_X3)_2βCa_γCu_2δO_ξ

mit

















und

        III.    (Tℓ_1-X1-X2Pb_X1Bi_X2)_α(Sr_1-X3Ba_X3)_2βCa_3γCu_4δO_ξ

mit

















und mindestens ein nicht-supraleitendes Material enthält, das in dem supraleitenden Körper Pinningzentren bildet und ein nur aus einer Kombination von in dem supraleitenden Material vorliegenden Elementen gebildetes Oxid ist, wobei der supraleitende Körper einen Jc-Wert von mindestens 10.000 A/cm² in einem Magnetfeld von 1 T bei 77 K hat.

2. Supraleitender Körper nach Anspruch 1, wobei

3. Supraleitender Körper nach Anspruch 2, wobei das mindestens eine supraleitende Material CaO, SrO, CuO, Ca₂PbO₄, BaPbO₃, BaBiO₃, (Ca,Sr)₂CUO₃ und/oder (Ca,Sr)CUO_x ist.

4. Supraleitender Körper nach Anspruch 2 oder 3, wobei das mindestens eine supraleitende Material eine Vielzahl von Körnern des Körpers bildet und das mindestens eine nicht-supraleitende Material in den Körnern vorliegt.

5. Supraleitender Körper nach Anspruch 2 oder 3, wobei das mindestens eine supraleitende Material eine Vielzahl von Körnern des Körpers bildet und das mindestens eine nicht-supraleitende Material außerhalb der Körner in dem Körper vorliegt.

6. Supraleitender Körper nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, der mindestens ein weiteres nicht-supraleitendes Material enthält, das die gleiche Struktur hat wie das supraleitende Material und mindestens ein von den Elementen des supraleitenden Materials verschiedenes Element enthält.

7. Supraleitender Körper nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6, wobei das mindestens eine supraleitende Material eine Vielzahl von Körnern des Körpers bildet und mindestens 50% der Vielzahl von Körnern ihre c-Kristallachse in einer vorgegebenen Richtung haben.

8. Supraleitender Körper nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 7, wobei das mindestens eine supraleitende Material eine Vielzahl von Körnern des Körpers bildet, deren mittlere Größe im Bereich von 0,1 bis 10 µm liegt.

9. Supraleitender Körper nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 8, wobei das Volumenverhältnis des mindestens einen nicht-supraleitenden zu dem mindestens einen supraleitenden Material im Bereich von 0,01 bis 10 liegt.

10. Supraleitender Körper nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 9, wobei das mindestens eine nicht-supraleitende Material in dem Körper Teilchen bildet, die einen mittleren Abstand im Bereich von ≤ nm bis 1 µm haben.

11. Supraleitender Körper nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 10, der ferner mindestens ein metallisches Material normaler elektrischer Leitfähigkeit enthält.

12. Supraleitender Körper nach Anspruch 11, wobei das metallische Material Ag, Au und/oder ein Metall der Pt-Gruppe ist.

13. Verfahren zum Herstellen eines supraleitenden Körpers nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 12, wobei

(a) das supraleitende Material einer der Formeln I, II und III gebildet wird,

(b) Teilchen des supraleitenden Materials und Teilchen des oder der nicht-supraleitenden Materialien gemischt werden,

(c) das das supraleitende Material enthaltende Gemisch unter Bildung einer koexistenten flüssigen Phase erwärmt wird, und

(d) das supraleitende Material abgekühlt wird.

14. Supraleitender Draht mit mindestens einem länglichen supraleitenden Körper nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 12 und
einem diesen umschließenden normal-leitenden Mantel.

15. Supraleitender Draht nach Anspruch 14, wobei der supraleitende Körper eine Vielzahl von Körnern aufweist und nicht mehr als 5 Körner in irgendeiner Richtung quer zur Längsrichtung des supraleitendes Körpers liegen.

Revendications

1. Corps supraconducteur comportant au moins un matériau supraconducteur sélectionné parmi le groupe constitué de :

        I.    (Tl_1-x1-x2Pb_x1Bi_x2)_α (Sr_1-x3Ba_x3)_2β Ca_2γ Cu_3δO_ξ

où



















        II.    (Tl_1-x1-x2Pb_x1Bi_x2)_α (Sr_1-x3Ba_x3)_2β Ca_γCu_2δO_ξ

où

















et

        III.    (Tl_1-x1-x2Pb_x1Bi_x2)_α (Sr_1-x3Ba_x3)_2β Ca_3γCu_4δO_ξ

où

















et contenant au moins un matériau non-supraconducteur fournissant des centres de pinning dans le corps supra-conducteur et étant un oxyde constitué uniquement d'une combinaison d'éléments sélectionnés parmi les éléments présents dans ledit matériau supraconducteur, le corps supraconducteur ayant une valeur de densité de courant critique (Jc) d'au moins 10 000 A/cm² dans un champ magnétique de 1 tesla à 77 K.

2. Corps supraconducteur selon la revendication 1, dans lequel :

3. Corps supraconducteur selon la revendication 2, dans lequel ledit au moins un matériau non-supraconducteur est au moins un matériau sélectionné parmi CaO, SrO, CuO, Ca₂PbO₄, BaPbO₃, BaBiO₃, (Ca, Sr)₂CuO₃ et (Ca, Sr)CuO_x.

4. Corps supraconducteur selon la revendication 2 ou 3, dans lequel ledit au moins un matériau supraconducteur forme une pluralité de grains dudit corps, et ledit au moins un matériau non-supraconducteur est présent dans lesdits grains.

5. Corps supraconducteur selon la revendication 2 ou 3, dans lequel ledit au moins un matériau supraconducteur forme une pluralité de grains dudit corps, et ledit au moins un matériau non-supraconducteur est présent dans ledit corps à l'extérieur desdits grains.

6. Corps supraconducteur selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 5 contenant au moins un autre matériau supraconducteur qui a la même structure que ledit matériau supraconducteur et a au moins un élément différent des éléments dudit matériau supraconducteur.

7. Corps supraconducteur selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 6, dans lequel ledit au moins un matériau supraconducteur forme une pluralité de grains dudit corps, et au moins 50% de ladite pluralité de grains ont leur l'axe c cristallin dans une direction prédéterminée.

8. Corps supraconducteur selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 7, dans lequel ledit au moins un matériau supraconducteur forme une pluralité de grains dudit corps ayant une dimension moyenne située dans la plage allant de 0,1 µm à 10 µm.

9. Corps supraconducteur selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 8, dans lequel le rapport en volume entre ledit au moins un matériau non-supraconducteur et ledit au moins un matériau supraconducteur est dans la plage allant de 0,01 à 10.

10. Corps supraconducteur selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 9, dans lequel ledit au moins un matériau non-supraconducteur forme des particules dans ledit corps, et l'écartement moyen entre lesdites particules est situé dans la plage allant de 1 nm à 1 µm.

11. Corps supraconducteur selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 10, comportant également au moins un matériau métallique ayant une conductivité électrique normale.

12. Corps supraconducteur selon la revendication 11, dans lequel ledit matériau métallique est sélectionné parmi le groupe de métaux constitué d'Ag, d'Au et de Pt.

13. Procédé de formation d'un corps supraconducteur selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 12, comportant les étapes consistant à :

(a) former le matériau supraconducteur ayant une formule sélectionnée parmi I, II et III,

(b) mélanger des particules du matériau supraconducteur et des particules du ou des matériaux non-supraconducteurs,

(c) chauffer le mélange contenant ledit matériau supraconducteur pour former une phase liquide co-existante, et

(d) refroidir ledit matériau supraconducteur.

14. Câble supraconducteur comportant au moins un corps allongé supraconducteur selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 12 et une gaine conductrice normale enfermant ledit au moins un corps supraconducteur.

15. Câble supraconducteur selon la revendication 14, dans lequel ledit corps supraconducteur comporte une pluralité de grains et il n'y a pas plus de cinq grains dans une quelconque direction transversale à la direction d'allongement du corps supraconducteur.

Drawing